


Things we forgot

by ForestFox



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Dark Past, Implied Relationships, M/M, Nightmares, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4855532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestFox/pseuds/ForestFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's been captured and Pitch is getting his pay back in the only way he knows how. Even though Bunny is coming to his rescue it might be too late to save Jack from himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things we forgot

Jack is crying. He knows he is. He can hear his screams echoing off the cave walls. The nightmares with their gold tainted eyes are laughing at him, prancing around him in a circle as more commotion raged on beyond them. Another rush of nightmare sand burns his lips, rubbing his broken flesh raw and filling his mouth with the taste of blood and dust.

Suffocating on the sand he jerks off the ground trying to breathe through his nose. It’s no use, this isn’t the first time he’s experienced this, the nightmare sand filling him, draining him of strength and plunging through his joyous control to bring about the worst memories.

_“You will see me.”_

That voice echoes in his ears, a distance memory bubbling up. One buried deep beyond his waking thoughts. The trees, a forest of them and young colonial children dressed in linens and carrying baskets. The children are rushing home to beat the rising moon and nightly predators determined to eat them. The younger one in the bonnet, surely she can almost see him.

 _“Do nu stop Jacob… we canno stop.”_ She insisted, running ahead of her older brother who did not share her fear. If this was how he was to be seen than he would do it!

“That’s not me anymore.” Jack howled, turning his head away from the sand. It pricked against his skin trying to find its way back into his mouth.

Between the prancing horse legs he could see familiar furry feet in their whirling dance of battle. He could even see his staff, his broken staff being swung in parts. Explosions of nightmare sand, no doubt Pitch fighting back.

His sense of sound was smothered by sand. Now he could only hear children screaming. Voices he had hoped never to remember, mistakes of days gone by, things he had sworn he would never do again. Even as his vision was blocked and the burning of sand in his eyes made him hurt he was seeing again. Back in an the endless winter forest as a different girl screamed. Her winter flushed face terrified as she tried to drag herself to safety.

 _“Why are you doing this to me?”_ He took steps towards her. Not him, never again him! He reminded himself as he leaned down. He could remember that time. The way he smiled, filled with joy at simply being seen.

 _“I want to be seen.”_ He stated, reaching down to touch the girl’s ice frozen legs. She would be found later, the news would report that she had frozen to death. The normal people would bundle up even more against the winter. The superstitious would whisper his borrowed name, not who he was, but who they assumed he was. It didn’t matter to him that he wasn’t seen under his own name, he was SEEN.  

He is aware again, thrashing on the floor. His legs are kicking, his body trembling as he struggled for air once more. The ground is hard against his spasms and he’s sure he’s injuring himself more than he can simply walk off. He can hear the distinct bickering of Pitch and Aster as they continue to battle.

It’s as if those two were trying to talk each other to death.

 _“Please. Please just take my life. I don’t want to live anymore.”_ A heartbroken child begged. Terror filled him. He had done this many times, the desperate and the broken that found him in the dark of night and begged for quick and painless release that only the winter could give.

 _“Why should I answer your mortal whims?”_ He spat seeing his ever present staff pointed at the boy kneeling in the snow before him. His cold blue hands clamped over his staff unmoving, so certain that yes he would kill this boy no matter what he said.

 _“You took my family from me. I saw it- the least you can do it send me to them.”_ He hissed anger in his face. His small brown eyes were so filled with hate it stopped him. Fear he craved, sadness was a lovely emotion too, but hate? He had never had someone look at him with hate before.

 _“No.”_ He stated, turning away.

 _“Why! Jokul Frosti doesn’t have a heart! Kill me! Don’t pity me!”_ The boy’s voice faded away.

Numbly Jack saw his vision clear, his aching eyes staring up at the cave ceiling.

“Ya alright right love?” Bunny’s worried voice filled his ears even as his boyfriend leaned into his view. Jack saw his staff in one piece, sort of. Green vines twirled around the staff, perhaps holding it together. He wasn’t sure, but it was a small reassurance to know that it was at least in good hands for now.

“No.” He answered hoarsely, testing his ability to move. He could barely make his fingers twitch now that the pain was gone. He wanted to keep his secret. No one had really made the connection before now but he was raw. Everything hurt, even his heart from the memories. The people he had killed just to be seen. It had taken too long for him to realize that wasn’t the attention he had wanted. “I killed people. A long time ago…” He added as though that would clean the slate.

Bunny nodded but said nothing. Instead he leaned down and Jack could feel several arms carefully wrapping around him. Two arms were under his, a third resting on his belly and a fourth cupped the back of his head. He had thought North had been joking about the things Bunny could do.

Even though he was limp and unable to respond, he could feel Bunny’s furry lips on his, giving him a soft slow kiss, his warm tongue probing into his mouth.

He couldn’t return even that, but he felt the affection Bunny had for him.

Idly he wondered if his lack of response was from the pain he had received or how numb he now felt. Bunny stirred no feelings in him now.

And that was it, the breaking point.

He was a husk, a monster undeserving of his rewards hidden in the good skin called Jack Frost. Tears filled his aching eyes and he let out a pained sob. He had recovered once, he could do so again. He just wasn’t certain if he could do it if Bunny did not accept what he would have to tell him.

“Ya can tell me when ya are ready love… it’s okay… let’s go home.” Jack didn’t argue, only continued to cry.

He didn’t deserve such a patient boyfriend.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the silence guys. I've been pregnant, still am. Due any day now! But I managed to have the energy, will, and inspiration to write this little drabble for once. I hope to finish off my other stories soon... but we'll see. Being a Mommy might wreck my fandom dreams. 
> 
> The end is up for you to decide. Do you think Jack and Bunny survive Jack's dark past?


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